Game apparatus



Nov. 12, 1935. L. w. GENYSBURG 2,02@,354

Gum APPARATUS Filed June 14, 1934 Ill/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/III!I"III/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/lllllIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII uINVENTOR.

H I S ATTORNEYS.

Louis W Gensbwy Patented Nov. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1Claim.

My invention relates to certain novel improvements in a game apparatusand has particular reference to a new and novel ramp therefor forguiding balls projected upon the board of the 5 apparatus to a positionfor gravitation down the board and has for its principal object the pro--i vision of an improved construction of this character which will behighly efficient in use and economical in manufacture. I-Ieretofore inconstructing the cabinets for game apparatus such as are known in thetrade as coin controlled pin games it was the custom to cut fromsuitable lengths of material semi-circular plates which when finishedand mounted upon the play board at opposite ends provided what is knownas the ramps designed and adapted to guide balls upon the play board inposition for gravitation thereover and along. Before these plates couldbe applied in their respective positions upon the play board it wasessentially necessary that the circular edge or edges of these plates beabsolutely true and free from roughness or other protuberances otherwisedue to the roughness or protruding parts or elements the balls whenguided by the circular ramps would be deflected prematurely upon thegame board for gravitation thereover and along. Considerable labor andexpense is involved in the production of wooden ramps which I havereferred to and it has been the custom in order to overcome thedifilculties mentioned to line the circular edges with metal securingthe metal lining or facing to the plates by means of screws orvthe like.This increased the cost of manufacture of thegame apparatus. It istherefore one of the many objects of this invention to provide a rampwhich is of a continuous single unitary element thereby making itunnecessary to finish the circular edges of plates and making it furtherunnecessary to determine whether such edges are free from roughness orprotruding elements or portions.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a rampconstituting a single unit which greatly facilitates the assembly of theramp and its filler blocks upon the play board of the game apparatus.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partsherein described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by a reference to the accompanyingdrawing illustrating the preferred form of construction of the inventionand in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan sectional detail view of a game apparatus illustratingmy improved ramp associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the same 5 taken substantially online 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail View of the same takensubstantially on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in 10 which there isillustrated the preferred form of construction of my invention inindicates a cabinet which includes a play board ll upon which play boardll balls (not shown) are adapted to be projected along and from a rampl2. This 15 ramp l2 includes two straight sections l3 and I4 joinedtogether at corresponding end portions as an integral .unit by acircular ramp section 15. The opposite end portion of the straight rampsection I3 merges into a filler block l6 which 20 extends in asubstantial alignment with the circular ramp section l5 and completesthe connection between the end I! of this straight ramp section l3 andthe adjacent wall It of the cabinet. The opposite end portion of thestraight 25 ramp section l4 merges into a circular ramp portion l9 whichis defined by a radius less than the radius defining the circular rampsection t5 whereby to provide between the end 20 of this circular rampsection l9 and-the end I! a suit- 30 able passage for the projection ofballs upon the play board I l by a projecting device (not shown).

The ramp as is evident from the description herein is formed of a singlecontinuous piece or length of material and as shown in the drawing issubstantially channel shaped in cross section with the bight portion 2|of the ramp providing the guiding surface for the balls. The ramp ispositioned upon the play board H as shown in Fig. 1 and to complete theinvention there are provided filler blocks 22 disposed at the oppositecorresponding end portions of the play board with their circular edgedportions 23 snugly fitted into the channel of the ramp thus serving toretain the shape of the ramp particularly the circular ramp portionsthereof. These filler blocksare secured to the play board H by suitableattaching elements 25. In order to assure parallel relationship betweenthe straight ramp 50 portions of the ramp and to prevent these D tionsfrom buckling due to temperature changes when the straight ramp portionsare of considerable length they may be attached to the play I b gldthrough the medium of suitable securing pended claim;

elements 24 in the form of wood screws or the like.

By the use of a ramp such as is herein described it is obvious that agreat saving results in the construction of the game apparatus and. thata truer guiding wall or surface results for guiding the balls inposition to gravitate uponand over the game board and that the assemblyof the several parts thus described is of a maximum simplicity. v 1

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction of my invention, this is capable of variation and modifcation, without departing from the spirit of "the inventionh. 1,

therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details ofconstruction set iivorth, but (18 sire to avail myself of suchvariations and ,modi: fications as come within-the scope of thee tionsbeing defined by a radius less than the length of the radius definingthe other semi-circular ramp portion, and filler blocks havingsemicircular edge portions mounted in the channels of the saidsemi-circular ramp sections.

LOUIS W. GENSBURG.

